Native America, In Music, Story And Dance

THEATER - JACK ZINK

February 27, 1998|JACK ZINK

Voices of Native America, a multimedia chronicle of Native American culture, will bring together instrumentalist Douglas Spotted Eagle with storyteller Gayle Ross and singer-dancer Rob Greyhill in early March at the Kravis Center and Bailey Hall.

The show also features a 22-member ensemble of singers and dancers, plus a video backdrop. The company arrives at Kravis on Wednesday for an 8 p.m. performance, and moves to Bailey on March 8 for a 2 p.m. matinee.

Flutist Spotted Eagle's recordings and soundtrack appearances on such films as 500 Nations and The Way West have been an important factor in opening Native American music to mainstream audiences. In doing so, he's broken old traditions to help erase stereotypes. And since his first recording in 1989, other performers have carved important places in the growing genre.

The native flute, Spotted Eagle told a radio producer several years ago, ``was never intended for the general masses, for entertainment purposes.''

Rather, it was used in healing ceremonies. But he said the days of cultural isolation are over.

The Voices program is told in four acts titled ``We Dance,'' ``We Honor Our Children,'' ``We Pray'' and ``We Live.'' Tickets are available at the respective box offices.

Just once more The musical Les Miserables arrives Tuesday for a week at the Jackie Gleason Theater, billed as the almost-perennial favorite's ``only South Florida engagement this year.'' It's essentially the same company, with a few cast changes, that played last season at the Broward Center. Look for former Miami actress Aymee Garcia, who has moved up from the ensemble to the flamboyant Mrs. Thenardier. She's opposite colorful longtime Les Miz veteran J.P. Dougherty as the irascible Thenardier himself, leader of a gang of Paris hoodlums.

And here's some box office trivia: The movie Titanic, which became the all-time b.o. champ this week, still has a ways to go before it tops Les Miz's global sales of $1.6 billion.

Together again Who's your favorite famous theatrical couple? Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy? Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson? How about Lee Meriwether and Marshall Borden? Former Miss America Meriwether and husband Borden have appeared in 11 shows together, including their current duet in Neil Simon's vintage comedy Plaza Suite.

The three-part anthology stops in at Bailey Hall on Saturday night as part of the venue's theatrical lineup. Meriwether is best known for her TV roles in Barnaby Jones and the current All My Children, plus a stint on the Today show. On film, she was Catwoman in the original Batman movie.

Ticket madness

A new discount ticket program called Ticket Madness goes into action next week under the aegis of the Theatre League of South Florida.

Iris Acker, who has worked with Broward's ArtServe half-price booth, directs the Ticket Madness project, which operates a little differently. For the time being TM is only available in five Miami-Dade locations.

At ArtServe (on East Sunrise Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale), you buy your tickets in cash for shows that same day. Ticket Madness patrons buy a $2 voucher at one of the five brokers and are given a seat assignment. The voucher is presented at the theater later that day for a half-price seat. Matinee vouchers are available the day before each performance.

The vouchers, essentially retail markups, may encourage other retailers to join the program. Already signed up are four bookstores and Victorian's Cafe, the nearest location to Broward, in the Aventura Loehmann's Fashion Island. The program, and a hotline (305-460-3188), start Monday.

Top tenor

Broadway's best-known tenor, the original The Phantom of the Opera leading man Michael Crawford, is getting the PBS-TV pledge drive spotlight. Michael Crawford in Concert will air at 8 p.m. Monday on WPBT-Ch. 2, with his usual array of songs from various Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals.

Crawford also has a new CD arriving in stores. On Eagle's Wings, the popular hymn, is the title track on the new collection of inspirational songs.